Are Tailored Clothes Better?
How your clothes fit is important!
Whatever your budget, whether you can afford to hire a tailor to make your suits and smart casual clothes, or you get off the rack clothes altered, the right fit makes a huge difference.
Not just in how you look to others, but how you feel in yourself in terms of personal style and confidence!
Let’s look at the benefits of paying attention to improving the fit of your clothes.
Boosts Confidence
When your clothes fit well, you feel more confident. Correct fit enhances your posture, makes you feel more comfortable and results on you effortlessly projecting a positive self-image. Confidence is key to making a great first impression, whether in a professional or social situation.
Enhances Appearance
One of my goals as a bespoke tailor is to always do my best to put my clients in their best light through the clothing I create for them.
Clothes that fit properly (or are tailored correctly) highlight your best features and create a flattering silhouette. Poorly-fitting clothes, on the other hand, can look make you look sloppy and won’t flatter you at all. Well-fitted clothes make sure you look polished and put-together, enhancing your overall appearance as you appear competent and confident!
I always tell my customers – it’s the difference between you wearing your clothes or your clothes wearing you!
Improves Comfort
Comfort is just as important as looking stylish. Clothes that fit too tight can feel restrictive and uncomfortable, moving around can be difficult. Imagine having trousers that are too tight on the waist or a jacket that barely buttons up when you’re say trying to concentrate in a meeting!
On the opposite side, clothes that fit too loosely can make you look and feel “frumpy”. They also make you look “shapeless” and unkempt.
Well-fitted clothes give you the perfect balance between bring comfortable, whilst looking sharp, well-put together yet able to move with ease throughout your day.
Demonstrates Attention to Detail
Wearing clothes that fit well show that you pay attention to detail – the care you take in your personal appearance can translate (to the person looking at you) that you will also take care of details when it comes to whatever they are hiring you to do.
Displaying professionalism is also a mark of both respect for yourself and for others. This can be especially important in the workplace, where first impressions, like it or not, do matter.
4 Tips for Achieving Perfect Fitting Clothes
Know Your Measurements
It helps to know your exact measurements. This includes your chest, waist, hips, inseam, outseam and sleeve length. When shopping for ready-made clothes, having your sizing to hand helps you navigate brands’ sizing charts and ensure you select the size of garments closest to your own measurement. You’ll also have an idea of how much is required in terms of alterations and whether buying from that brand is worthwhile or going to just be a big headache.
Tailoring is Important
Invest in a good tailor. Even if you buy ready made clothing, minor alterations make a huge difference. Hemming trousers to the right length, adjusting sleeve lengths, or taking in the waist of a jacket can transform an average garment into a great looking one.
If you are going the made to measure or bespoke route, make sure you work with a tailor you can establish a good relationship and rapport with. Tailoring should be a personal thing, you need to have the utmost trust in the bespoke tailor who is looking after you and have faith that they are always going to do their best by you.
Great tailors become great friends – the type of person you can order from and not worry about the result being any less than superb!
Fabric Matters
Fabric plays an important part in how clothes fit. Choose fabrics that complement your body shape – stretch fabrics can give more comfort while allowing for a closer fit than you might ordinarily go for.
Structured fabrics (for example worsted wools for suits over 300 grammes per square metre in weight) can be more flattering for larger figured people, lighter weight fabrics look better on those with a more slender build.
Ignore Sizing Labels, Focus On Actual Fit
Don’t get caught up with stressing or worrying about size labels. Try things on and focus how the clothing fits rather than wat size it says it is on the label.
Many brands do not show sizing that is true to the size they state – for example most 32” labelled jeans actually physically measure 36” or even more! This is called vanity sizing and makes the shopper feel better about themselves by misleading them into believing that they are smaller than they actually are.
And to complicate things further, the rule is not an industry standard, sizing conventions vary from brand to brand and it can be a real minefield.
So try things on, and if shopping online, use size charts and compare them with your own ACTUAL body measurements!
Well-Fitted Clothing for Different Occasions
Work
For the office, well-fitted clothing screams professionalism, competence and confidence. For the suited environment invest in tailored suits, fitted shirts and make sure your shoes are a. good quality and b. always polished!
For a more smart casual work environment a well-fitted casual jacket, shirt and tailored chinos or (if your work dress code permits, dark jeans) can elevate your business casual look and leave a lasting GREAT impression.
Casual
Even casual outfits benefit from great fit. Fitted jeans, tailored shorts and shirts, even well-cut T-shirts. Casual doesn’t mean you for you to be sloppy! I often get asked how I look so stylish both in and out of my suits – I ensure my jeans and t-shirts are as well-fitted as can be (linking colours also helps but that’s a whole other article!).
Social Events
For social events, well-fitted clothing make sure get attention for the right reasons. Whether it's a smart-casual gathering or a formal event, the right fit enhances your appearance and boosts your confidence.
When you walk into a room (and I’ve found this especially important for networking and this would extend to dating too), you want to stand out from the crowd with an air of quiet self-assuredness. It creates intrigue and compels people to approach you and want to find out about you!
So, “Are Tailored Clothes Better?” I hope I’ve managed to get you to consider you’re your clothing fits and see just some of the many benefits tuning your sizing can bring to you!
It’s about more than making a fashion statement. Whether you’re in a professional or social situation, for many of us it’s important to look and feel our very best.
Paying attention to how your clothes fit can make you look your most confident no matter what is really going on – and paying attention to details before stepping out into the world can make or break your day, career – even finding that certain someone!
For more fashion inspiration and tips, be sure to follow Roberto Revilla London on social media (simply search "Roberto Revilla London”). You can find us on Instagram and you can also catch the Tailoring Talk Magazine podcast wherever you like to get your podcasts or on YouTube by searching Tailoring Talk or Roberto Revilla!
To book an appointment for bespoke tailoring with Roberto visit the Contact link above.
